Sports
Petr Cech tells Wayne Rooney to forget about scoring landmark goal against him
PETR CECH has told Wayne Rooney to forget about scoring another landmark goal against Arsenal today.
This weekend marks the 15th anniversary of when Rooney scored his first Premier League goal as a 16-year-old in the same fixture at Goodison Park.
His blistering strike past then-Gunners keeper David Seaman was the first of 201 Premier League goals — seven of them against Cech when he was No 1 at Chelsea.
But Cech — still to be beaten by Rooney as an Arsenal keeper — believes his Gunners team-mates will not allow England’s all-time top goalscorer to repeat his heroics from all those years ago.
Cech said: “Wayne has a great memory of that day. I remember seeing it on TV and it was a great effort to beat Seaman.
“Wayne is one of the world’s best strikers and when you score the most goals for Manchester United it shows how good you are.
“He has gone back to Everton and keeps scoring goals. Hopefully, we’ll not allow him to shine like he did that day.
“We know a lot more about him now of course because he has been at the top of the game for 15 years.
“But Everton and Rooney are in a position where they need to take points as well. Like us they had a Europa League game on Thursday. We both need to win. It is always tough when you go to Everton but we’ll go there to be resolute, strong and ready.”
Cech knows that Arsenal must cure their travel sickness — and fast.
A hard-fought 1-0 win at Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday may have given the Gunners some slight relief.
But the fact remains that defeat at Everton today could prove disastrous for Arsenal’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Cech added: “We’ve won all the games at the Emirates — but we need to start winning away.
“OK Watford, with the bad luck, is one game. But we had lost two games prior to that — and the losses at Stoke and Liverpool were so disappointing.
“So we’re going to Everton with a need to improve on that and our position in the table as we’ve given the advantage to our rivals in the last game.
“Prior to last year, we had the best away record in the league.
“We need to go back to that. Defensively we need to be tight because away from home we’re creating chances but not scoring enough goals.”
Wenger has used the Europa League and League Cup as platforms to blood his kids.
The atmosphere in the Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade was electrifying and Cech insists the Gunners boss was very clever in allowing the youngsters to experience that.
Rob Holding, 22, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 20, Reiss Nelson, 17 and Jo Willock, 18, started in the Serbian capital — while Ben Sheaf, 19, and Marcus McGuane, 18, came on for late cameos.
Cech started his first game in Europe this season and kept Red Star at bay before Arsenal striker Oliver Giroud popped up with a late winner.
And he said: “It really did feel like a Champions League game. The crowd in Belgrade made it so special.
“This was a perfect game for the young players because it was the hardest game we’ve faced in the Europa League and we had a whole bench of young boys and we had four of them playing again. They did really well.
“They’re lucky in a way that the boss gave them confidence in playing them in matches like this. It is a big game.
“It’s a European competition and we want to, as a club, ideally win it like Manchester United did if possible.
“For them to get the trust of the manager is very important.”
Victor Osimhen has been named the 2023 African Footballer of the Year, cementing his status as one of the world’s top players.
Osimhen surpassed competition from Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi and Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah for the prestigious award.
The Super Eagles forward concluded a remarkable year in the imperial Moroccan city of Marakesh, ending Nigeria’s 24-year wait for Africa’s top individual prize, last won by legendary Kanu Nwankwo in 1999.
During the event, Osimhen expressed gratitude, acknowledging the impact of Nigerian legend Emmanuel Amuneke, who coached him at the U-17 level, and the support from fans and fellow players.
“It’s a dream come true for me. I want to thank everyone who has seen me through life’s journey, in achieving my dreams and goals. I appreciate Nigerians and Africa for their unwavering support and encouragement,” he said.
Osimhen recognised the influence of Emmanuel Adebayo, Solomon Kalu, and other African legends, expressing gratitude to his role model, Didier Drogba.
The award reflects Osimhen’s outstanding performances with Napoli, where he played a pivotal role in their Serie A title run, scoring 26 league goals and becoming the first African to win the top scorer award, breaking George Weah’s record in the Italian top-flight.”
Lionel Messi, the renowned Argentine football icon, clinched the coveted 2023 Ballon d’Or, setting a new record for the 2022 World Cup champion.
In a glamorous event held in Paris, Messi, who now plays for Inter Miami, received the prestigious award on Monday night. This achievement is widely seen as a well-deserved recognition for his pivotal role in guiding the Abiscelete to World Cup victory in the previous year.
Aged 36, Messi succeeded Karim Benzema as the recipient of this award, which acknowledges his exceptional performances during the last season when he inspired Argentina to triumph at the World Cup.
His remarkable displays in Qatar, where he led his nation to a historic victory, enabled him to surpass strong competition, notably from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Haaland secured the second spot in the final voting, with Mbappe finishing third and Kevin De Bruyne taking fourth place.
Messi, a former Barcelona superstar, left an indelible mark at the World Cup, scoring seven crucial goals. His exceptional performance led to him being named the tournament’s best player, especially after Argentina’s victory over France in the final.
While Messi’s World Cup heroics were undeniable, his final season with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was relatively lackluster. Subsequently, he made a move to Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
His former PSG teammate, Mbappe, made a strong case for the Ballon d’Or with his outstanding World Cup performance, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals, including a memorable hat-trick in the final for France.
Norwegian striker Erling Haaland had a remarkable season, scoring an incredible 52 goals in 53 games for Manchester City. This stellar performance played a pivotal role in helping Pep Guardiola’s team secure a historic treble in the English Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.
Both Haaland and De Bruyne were nominated for the Ballon d’Or from their exceptional contributions to the success of Manchester City.
Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba’s ‘B’ sample has confirmed the presence of testosterone, a source close to the case told AFP on Friday.
The 30-year-old former Manchester United player, a World Cup winner in 2018, faces a ban of up to four years.
The original test by the Italian anti-doping agency (Nado) showed the presence of testosterone metabolites.
On Friday, Pogba learned that the analysis of his B sample, carried out on the previous day, had produced the same result.
The player’s entourage declined to comment.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code, Pogba is liable to a four-year suspension, which could be halved if he proves that he was not at fault.
The ban could even be limited to a few months if the use of the substance took place “out of competition and is not related to his level of performance”.
Pogba’s representatives said last month that the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.
Testosterone promotes muscle development.
Contacted by AFP, Nado was unable to confirm this information “due to a decision by the Italian privacy authority”.
Pogba has seven days to submit his defence to Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal, which will investigate his case and request a sanction, a process that could take several weeks.
In addition to the proceedings of the Italian sports justice system, a judicial investigation will be opened by the Turin public prosecutor’s office, as doping is a criminal offence in Italy.
Since the announcement of his positive test, Pogba has been unable to train with Juventus, the club to which he returned in July 2022 after six seasons with United.
The announcement came shortly before Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri’s press conference on the eve of the Turin derby against Torino, at which he simply said he was “sorry for Paul”.
Contacted by AFP, the club, which has also suspended payment of his estimated annual salary of 8 million euros (8.4 million dollars), did not respond.
Pogba started the season attempting to bounce back from string of injuries last season and from summer surgery.
His sample was reportedly taken at his club’s opening match of the Serie A season, a win at Udinese on August 20, during which he was an unused substitute.
After the first sample tested positive on September 11, Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta said she was “awaiting the second sample and cannot have an opinion before the results”.
“What is certain is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break a rule,” she added.
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